Music of all kinds has long played an influential role in defining human society, evidenced by its very early development, myriad forms, and inter-cultural appeal. Nevertheless, music has traditionally been a predominantly local phenomenon, with the widespread distribution of recorded music being a relatively recent development. As such, musicians have traditionally found their introduction to music, their training, and their inspiration on a local level. Thus, it is no surprise that groups of musicians are likewise typically formed from individuals from the same community or culture. This traditional framework, in which musicians learn, grow, collaborate, and create, suffers from the geographical boundaries that restrict access to musical styles and trends, and the musicians from different cultures from around the country and around the globe who bring them to life.
To some extent, recent advances in technology have addressed the need for improved access to varying musical styles prevalent in different geographical areas, as well as to geographically isolated musicians working within the same or similar style. For example, record companies and other traditional music suppliers have recognized the growing interest among many individuals in diverse styles of music and, accordingly, have begun recording and distributing music of various styles from around the world on a larger, although still insufficient scale. Additionally, the availability of digital music via the Internet has enabled interested individuals to search out and obtain music from around the world.
Many problems remain, however, with current systems for distributing music. Among these are the high cost associated with production of traditionally recorded and distributed music, including music distributed via the Internet, and the specialized facility required for such production. As a result, access to adequate facilities for recording and distributing music is markedly limited for many musicians, including many professional musicians. Furthermore, almost no progress has been made toward eliminating the barriers between musicians that impede collaboration and influence, be they geographic, linguistic, cultural, or the like.
Thus, it is apparent that a need exists for a system in which musicians from around the world performing all styles of music may meet, interact, perform, listen, learn, comment, collaborate, and grow, including a system and method of music production and distribution that allows musicians to perform together regardless of their respective locations and schedules.